Shoplifter assigned to drug treatment program

LOCKPORT – A man who stole 32 bottles of cologne from Sears in The Summit, a Wheatfield mall, pleaded guilty to a felony Tuesday in Niagara County Court and was assigned to the judicial diversion program of court-supervised drug treatment.

Hassan K. Ford, 48, of Plaza Drive, Wheatfield, admitted to fourth-degree grand larceny in connection with the Feb. 21 theft. He is permanently barred from the Sears store as a condition of the plea deal. All the stolen items were recovered when Ford was arrested at gunpoint at a gas station near the mall.

County Judge Sara Sheldon Farkas said he faces up to four years in state prison if he washes out of the treatment program, but if Ford succeeds, the charges will be reduced to a misdemeanor and he will receive a sentence of probation.